Snow causes hundreds of crashes, 3 deaths in Virginia

A 30-year-old man died Monday morning after wrecking his pickup truck in Amelia County. It happened just before 11 AM on Route 614, also known as Dennisville Road. The driver lost control of his vehicle, ran off the road, hit an embankment, overturned and then hit a tree. It's one of hundreds of crashes all over the state Monday.

A passenger in a truck was killed in Brunswick County when the driver lost control and struck a tree. Sarah Singleton, 35, was found dead at the scene. The driver, April Singleton, 31, suffered non-life threatening injuries. She has been charged with reckless driving.

A driver in Campbell County was killed when her car spun out and struck a truck in the oncoming lane. Mika T. Leclerc, 18, died at the scene. The driver of the truck was not injured.

A Virginia State Police trooper in Augusta County was transported to the hospital with minor injuries after his vehicle was rear-ended while responding to another traffic accident. The driver of the vehicle that hit the patrol car, Gabrielle Harney, 19, was not injured. She has been charged with reckless driving.

Monday afternoon, VDOT had to close three southbound lanes on I-95, near Chamberlayne, due to another crash involving a jackknifed tractor trailer.

For those who chose to brave the roads, it resulted in regret for many drivers. All day long, there were spin-outs, crashes, and some cars landing in ditches.

"I went to the left. Another car went to the right. We all mumbled jumbled," said Sherri Thompson.

She was picking up her daughter from work when she found herself in need of AAA's assistance.

"I tossed over and I ended up backwards in the embankment," Thompson said.

It's one of numerous rescues AAA made through the course of the day.

"A lot of accidents happened with people driving too fast for road conditions and stuff like that, not realizing how slippery the roads are, slide right off the road," said Kevin Harris with AAA.

In another crash on I-95 near Hermitage, police say a box truck driver hit a jersey wall, and flipped on its side. It caused traffic delays for hours. Several tow companies said they were all keeping busy. A manger at Quick Towing in Richmond says he and many of his counterparts decided to ground crews for a portion of the day, because the roads weren't safe enough for even them to travel on.

"We have to be out there," Harris said.

AAA brought its fleet crews in early and is prepared to do the same Tuesday.

"When everyone gets up, the temperatures drop, it's going to get cold, batteries are not going to start in the morning," Harris said.

Winter weather proved to be the source of a rough commute that led to more than a little inconvenience. In many cases, it resulted in damaged and disabled cars.

Fortunately, not many of the reported crashes involved injuries. VDOT is preparing its crews to work 12-hour shifts to plow and treat roads and highways.